Adults often say it's inappropriate to start dating at a teenager's age, perhaps because they believe decisions are made out of pleasure rather than genuine desire. According to their experiences, only two out of ten teenage couples end up together in the future. Well, these were my mother's words to me when I was just nine, advising me to ignore any boy who asks me out until I'm twenty-two. I still can't stop wondering why my mom said such to me at such a tender age; it was as if she already signed her death certificate because it was barely a month after we had this conversation that she passed away in the cold hands of an accident, along with my father, on our way back from church that evening. Thank God I made it alive as I was seated in the back seat of our cozy car maybe because God wanted my family to have an heir at least.

Now here I am, dating Edu at sixteen. I hope my mother won't be mad at me in her grave because I truly love Edu from the depth of my heart, and I believe him when he says he loves me too. It might be too late before I turn twenty-two, and I fear I may lose the love of my life forever.

Bassy muttered in her thoughts while taking a shower and preparing for school.

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Edu tossed his neck back and forth continuously, his gaze scanning the Senior Secondary School, observing the SS2 students perambulating around the corridor. Their sounds echoed through the walls, seeming happy to meet each other again after the holiday. It was the first day of resumption after the Easter holiday, and in his attempt to find his girlfriend, he walked to her classmates to ask if they'd seen her today. They all said no.

He returned to the exam hall, despondent, and sat among other students, waiting for the exam paper to arrive.

Promptly after the exam, he went back to her class to ask her firends again if she had arrived, as it was unusual for her to skip school.

Zoe suggested Bassy glance at the window upon seeing Edu tossing his neck and peeking from the window, trying to spot Bassy in her classroom through the wooden window.

Bassy, who was reading a novel with Zoe and Tina, chuckled shyly as she saw her boyfriend smirking at her from the wooden framed window. She slowly stood up from the weathered desk, unable to suppress a cough at the lingering smell of chalk dust in the air, as some of her classmates were wiping the black chalkboard for the mathematics teacher who was about to come in.

"Are you okay?" Edu asked, concern written all over his face upon seeing her coughing.

"Yes, I'm fine. You know I'm allergic to dust," she replied, grinning at him with admiration. "Have you been missing me already?"

"I can't stop imagining how I can cope without seeing you every day," Edu exaggerated, holding Bassy's hand to his face.

The gesture caught the attention of the whole class, with whispers about their love story circulating. Some speculated they were only putting on a show, while others believed they were trying to make others jealous. Zoe, who happened to be Bassy's best friend, looked at them with admiration, whispering to Tina, who was focused on the novel she was reading, "They are so cute together."

"Well, I'm not bothered, because I'm certain we'll be seeing each other after school and on weekends," Bassy said, slowly removing her hand from his face.

Bassy often felt extremely shy when Edu cuddled her in front of other students, but her friend Zoe had told her many times that she should be proud of it instead of shy. After all, if someone could be rated as the finest, it would be Bassy. He possessed all the qualities of a cute, sexy young man, from his height to his smooth chocolate skin and adorable dimple that added elegance to his pink lips.

Moreover, it wasn't Edu's physical appearance that attracted Bassy to him, but his intelligence. He was the senior prefect of their school, and he was always kind to everyone.

Edu's. lowerd his tone glancing at Bassy sadly "Actually, that's why I've been looking for you since morning. I wanted to tell you that my dad called my mom last night, and they discussed that I should come to the city immediately after my final exam," Edu said, glancing at Bassy with a trace of sadness in his eyes.

"You mean we'll never get to meet again?" Bassy asked, dumbfounded, peering at Edu with disbelief written all over her face.

Edu was speechless for a few seconds before reassuring her that they would definitely meet again, but it might take months or years, which was why he was sad about it.

Even though Edu had started loving first and it took him a long time to win Bassy's heart, Bassy had become so addicted to him that she couldn't bear to spend a day without seeing him.

All her hope was that after Edu's graduation from Senior Secondary School, they would meet every day in the market, as Edu usually came to the market to accompany Bassy while she helped her aunt to sell her goods in the provision shop.

Their love story was very popular in the village of Obudu, as it was unusual to see a 17-year-old boy dating a 16-year-old girl. It garnered even more attention as they were always seen holding hands together in school, on the street, and even in the market.

To Edu, it was normal, as they had been dating for over three years. Bassy was in Junior Secondary School two while Edu was in JSS 3 when they started dating. He believed they had kept it a secret for too long, so he didn't care anymore about what the community people had to say about them.

"It's fine. I'll cope with it," Bassy replied in a very low tone, slightly below a whisper, gazing into Edu's eyes with a tight-lipped smile.

Edu gradually took his right hand to Bassy's chin, stroking it softly. "Let's meet at my house after school today. I have something to show you..."

The math teacher emerged from the staff room and caught them in a romantic position in the class hallway.

"Who told you two that just because you are now in Senior class, you can turn this school into 'Romeo and Juliet' movie?" he asked, baffled, raising a brow.

"She's my girlfriend," Edu replied with a low but firm tone.

"Just because you're graduating today doesn't mean you're above punishment. Don't try me, Edu. Don't try me," the math teacher warned, pointing his cane at Edu, his face turning red. "As for you..." he pointed at Bassy, making her spine shiver. "Hmmm," he sighed, glancing at her in disgust. "I pity you. At this age, you're already following boys up and down, right? You don't want to be useful to your parents with all your intelligence. Get out of my presence before I descend on you furiously!" he yelled, walking into the class, leaving Edu standing confused.

The whole class chuckled silently as she dashed into the classroom, terrified of getting punished.

Later that evening, Bassy went to Edu's house as he had asked her to come after school, saying he had something to give her. She stood in front of the weathered block house, the aging face indicating it was a very old house, with the once bold paint now faded to soft pastel.

She knocked on the shuttered door gently, feeling tense.

"How are you, Bassy?" Edu's mum gave her a warm smile as she swung open the door.

Bassy was nervous to see Edu's mum instead of Edu himself, but she hid her expression behind a warm smile. " good evening Ma she greeted, I've come to see Edu," she said.

"I... I I just want to say my final goodbye to him," she added out of nervousness.

"Edu went to the stream to fetch water; he'll be back soon. Why don't you come inside and wait for him?" Edu's mom suggested warmly.

"Okay, I'm okay here. I'll sit on the bench," Bassy pointed at the bench on the corridor, feeling flustered.

"Okay, my child, if you say so. Let me come and keep you company," Oyo said, walking towards the bench.

Bassy wanted to decline but couldn't find the words, so she quietly went to sit down. Immediately, Edu appeared from the entrance of the compound with a keg of water on his head.

"I've been waiting for you. I thought you would come earlier so you'd see me off to the stream," Edu muttered as he gently dropped the keg from his head and walked towards Bassy with a smile.

"Oh, sorry about that. I was busy at home," Bassy replied, her voice barely audible.

"Let me leave you two to enjoy your last moments together I need to go and see my friend that her daughter is getting married tomorrow, she called me to come and help her with some preparation. Oyo smirked at them, walking out of the compound.

"Let's go inside; I have lots of things to tell you," Edu suggested as he swung open the door with rusty iron bars, holding Bassy's hand while they both walked into the house.